Management

Lori L. Fentem - President, Synergy Solutions

Lori Fentem is a Founder and serves as President of Synergy Solutions and in this role is responsible for the strategic direction of Synergy Solutions including business development, marketing and branding, technology deployment, joint-ventures, contract administration, and the development of service offerings. Ms. Fentem’s career within the teleservices channel spans over 25 years. . Prior to founding Synergy Solutions she spent eight years with top ten teleservices outsourcer -ProMark One/IDRC with her last position being Senior Vice President of Business Development. Ms. Fentem was responsible for the outbound revenue stream for all of ProMark One/IDRC's twenty four North American contact centers as well as external marketing, PR, and strategic client relationships.. Ms. Fentem’s channel experience also includes management roles in telephone based fundraising, market research, circulation sales and academic survey research.

Ms. Fentem serves on the American Teleservices Association (ATA) National Board of Directors and on the ATA’s Self Regulatory Organization (SRO) Steering Committee.  She founded the Arizona Chapter of the ATA in 2003 and serves as an Executive Member of the ATA Arizona Chapter Board.  Lori is also a member of the Vangent Health Solutions'; informis Advisory Board.  She is considered an expert in the area of call center compliance and has been featured in numerous local and national media sources including CNN, the New York Times, MSNBC, the Wall Street Journal, AP Radio Live, CNBC, and the Arizona Republic. She is a member of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO – formerly YEO) and the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). She was named a "Who's Who in Business" each year from 2002 - 2007 by Arizona's Woman magazine, recognized for her "Hot Growth" company by bizAZ magazine, was a Finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, ranked in the "Top 50" by Female Entrepreneur magazine and in the “Top 100 Who’s Who in Business to Business Marketing” by B2B magazine. Ms. Fentem was honored as the first ever recipient of the ATA Fulcrum Award recognizing her volunteer efforts for the teleservices channel.  Ms. Fentem regularly speaks at industry conferences on topics related to call centers and she also speaks on aspects of being an entrepreneur to various student groups ranging from Middle School to Post Graduate programs.  Lori is a graduate of the University of Illinois.

Corey Conklin - Chief Operating Officer, Synergy Solutions

Corey Conklin is a Founder and serves in the role of Chief Operating Officer for Synergy Solutions.  Mr. Conklin is responsible for the organization and growth of Synergy Solutions Call Center network including personnel, workforce management, policy and infrastructure development, facilities management, site selection, compliance, production and quality initiatives. Mr. Conklin also has management responsibility for Synergy’s Client Services area which includes the development of Synergy’s Account Management team as well as direct involvement with program implementation for many of Synergy’s clients.  Mr. Conklin has over two decades of operational experience in the area of call center management.  Prior to joining Synergy Solutions, Mr. Conklin was with outsourcer ProMark One/IDRC and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Operations for North American Operations.  In this role Corey managed rapid exponential growth while building the process and infrastructure for a network spanning 24 locations.  Previous experience includes various operational and managerial positions at telecommunications companies MCI/WorldCom and Telecom USA. Mr. Conklin has been honored as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and served as the Co-Chairman for the 2006 Jermaine Dye Cystic Fibrosis Celebrity Golf Tournament.  Corey attended the University of South Dakota.

Ken Linger - Senior Vice President of Technology

Ken Linger is a founding member of the Synergy Solutions team and has a long career in technology management.  He has been involved with direct marketing and outsourced teleservices for over ten years  Mr. Linger is currently responsible for the strategic design and support of all areas of technology within Synergy Solutions, including telecommunications, Voice-over-IP, hardware/software, client deliverables, Internet, email, LAN and WAN infrastructure, system maintenance, data and information security as well as technological innovation.  Mr. Linger is also responsible for the management and development of all technical personnel within Synergy Solutions. Prior to his role with Synergy Solutions, Mr. Linger was employed by large industry outsourcer, ProMark One/IDRC. There, he designed and implemented a network structure for over 20 locations.  Mr. Linger was accountable for the Windows NT computer network, including Exchange, Internet, remote access, and terminal services. He has been a Microsoft Certified Professional since 1998, and a Microsoft Certified System Engineer since 1999 with specialties in TCP/IP and Microsoft Exchange. Ken has also held various positions within Bank One Corporation and AT&T.  Mr. Linger services on the Technology Committee for the American Teleservices Association (ATA) and on the Outbound Technology Work Group for the ATA’s Self Regulatory Organization.  Ken regularly participates as an invited panelist at industry conferences.  Ken holds a BS in Business Administration in Information Technology from Colorado Technical University.

Robert Covert - Vice President Of Operations

Robert Covert serves as Vice President of Operations and in this capacity he is responsible for the areas of performance analytics and operational execution.   He brings over 16 years of customer satisfaction experience to the Synergy team. His extensive background includes experience in both leading account management teams as well as managing multiple call centers in the disciplines of customer care, sales and collections. He has worked with various Fortune 1000 partners in a variety of industries including health care, financial services, telecommunications, utilities, publishing, legal, and government.  Mr. Covert joined Synergy Solutions in 2003 and is responsible for overseeing the efforts of cross-functional teams at Synergy to deliver exceptional service and results for Synergy’s clients.  He is also focused on Operational innovation throughout Synergy   Prior to working for outsourcing-partner companies, Robert also worked for General Motors and PCS Health Systems in a variety of customer satisfaction roles. With PCS, he served as an Account Manager handling multiple clients including very large Blue Cross Blue Shield and HMO plan sponsors. Robert is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Kimberly Jacoby - Director of Finance and Accounting

Kimberly Jacoby is a member of the Synergy Solutions Senior Management team and serves in the role of Director of Finance and Accounting.  In this capacity, Ms. Jacoby is responsible for the oversight of all Synergy financial operations including budget development and control, financial reporting and analysis, cash flow, AP/AR, and taxes. Kimberly also oversees Synergy’s efforts with regards to state and federal compliance registrations as well as all bonding and insurance requirements.  Ms. Jacoby has worked in the teleservices industry since 1997 and prior to joining Synergy in 2000, Ms. Jacoby was employed by ProMark One/IDRC and eventually through acquisition, Telespectrum Worldwide.  At Telespectrum Kimberly served as Accounting Manager with responsibility for monitoring and reporting on the financial performance of 24 North American call centers.  Ms. Jacoby was also heavily involved in the processing of SEC filings for the publicly traded Telespectrum.  Ms. Jacoby serves as the Finance Chair for the Arizona Chapter of the American Teleservices Association.    Kimberly holds a BS in Business Management and Accounting from the University of Arizona.